Roger Goodell's cowardly stance on the NFL's grass field debate is so unsurprising

Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear has sparked a new conversation about NFL player safety. Specifically, it centers around the poor condition of artificial turf fields that some players believe put them at risk of significant injury, like what happened to Rodgers.

In the wake of Rodgers’ injury, the NFLPA has formally called for grass in every pro football stadium. On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared in a one-on-one interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take to discuss many of the league’s pertinent issues. That gave Goodell an opportunity to take a decisive stance on a problem that is clearly very important to his players.

Since Goodell is a de facto mouthpiece for owners, he predictably straddled the line and said nothing of substance on the grass field debate.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on NFLPA's call for grass fields: "You have other players who like playing on the turf field, because it's faster. So you've got mixed opinions. What we want to go on is science, we want to go on what's the best from an injury standpoint."

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 13, 2023

Ah yes, Goodell wants to lean toward the mythical “science,” a.k.a. “I do not have a better answer right now, probably won’t in the future, and I won’t say anything strong or definitive about this sensitive subject on national television.” Never mind that I’ve literally never heard a single NFL player profess that they actually prefer playing on turf compared to grass. Goodell’s comment is the equivalent of tweeting “many people are saying.”

Oh yeah, who, Roger? Provide one example.

The next time Goodell displays any kind of meaningful leadership in a pivotal moment for the league will be the first. Someone’s got to take a step forward and change the playing surfaces for the league. You just know it won’t be Goodell who leads the charge until public pressure forces him to cave at the absolute last moment OR the NFL owners allow him to.